Madden NFL 11 News Post

Madden NFL 11: Madden is Watching (ESPN)

04:29 PM - March 10, 2010 by Steve_OS

You wouldn't believe how many interceptions Brett Favre threw online last season, and EA is counting every single one as they track online user data to help shape the direction of Madden NFL 11.

Quote:


	"The average length of a "Madden NFL 10" game is 63 minutes, but only 17 minutes of this time is spent actually playing the game. The other 46 minutes are spent on things like calling plays, setting up audibles, making substitutions, and watching replays. Another crazy stat thrown out at the event is the fact that while most team playbooks offer an average of 330 plays, the average gamer only uses 13 plays per game. That is why the tag line for this year's game is "'Madden NFL 11': Simpler. Quicker. Deeper," as EA Sports is looking to not only speed up the time it takes to complete a game, but make the experience geared more toward how people are actually playing "Madden" online according to this user data they've compiled. "Our online base, our online connected rate continues to rise dramatically," explains "Madden" executive producer Jeremy Strauser. "We're able to now bring a tremendous amount of data in on real-time usage, real-time gameplay, in terms of reports from our connected user base. "We're bringing in over 173 million data reports ever single day with 'Madden,'" adds Strauser. "We're able to take this real-time data, confirm what's working, what's not working, and make changes to the game real-time while it's consumed." One example of how this quick-fix ability is a gameplay tweak from last year. When "Madden NFL 10" first shipped, EA started tracking Hit Stick tackles. While 1,135,443,163 were attempted, an astounding 518,959,818 were actually completed, for a success rate of 46-percent. Hit Stick tackles were meant to be a high risk/high reward type feature where gamers whiff and pay the price, but by making 46-percent of these tackles, the high risk part of the equation was almost nullified. So EA Sports went in and made a gameplay change through an online update about a month into the season, and the Hit Stick success rate plummeted down to the levels the game designers originally intended."

Game: Madden NFL 11Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 96 - View All

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Member Comments

# 1 Palo20 @ 03/10/10 04:54 PM

I hope they Dont dumb down the playbooks.

# 2 qpc123 @ 03/10/10 04:58 PM

Not sure gearing the game to the way people play online is a step in the right direction

# 3 Facts @ 03/10/10 05:29 PM

Uh-ohhhhh. Look if Player A is constantly throwing picks w/ Farve because he sucks at the game, it shouldn't effect us. Please don't boost guys stats because of the lack of skills of the players.

# 4 LucianoJJ @ 03/10/10 05:39 PM

Sim players who use deep playbooks suffer, while online cheesers get a boost.

# 5 PantherBeast_OS @ 03/10/10 06:00 PM

Well I just hope this stuff doesn't affect the playbooks and all. They should base gameplay online on how they should fix the game itself. Alot people who play online is guys with not alot skills are just kids playing. But I don't want to see playbooks get chopped up because of this. Then it would game boring again just running the same old few plays. I am hoping soon enough Ian are Phil will clear this up in a blog in the next few weeks are so. This does worry me some. But thanks for the info Steveo

# 6 ZoneKIller @ 03/10/10 06:12 PM

Ahhh.I knew it was coming to this.ONLINE is the number 1 feature for all video games.I never play online but I did with MW2.And the majority of the time I played with KIDS.I think most of the time thats all thats online.Im 29 years of age and Im a HARDCORE offline madden franchise junkie.How I wish I was still back in 2002 with madden for the PS2.

# 7 Valdarez @ 03/10/10 06:27 PM

The numbers have to be taken in context as well. Are folks avoid interceptions by calling the same plays over and over again? By using a small number of routes? Definitely have meaning if looked at through the right lense. I built a data warehouse for a system that combined online marketing providers (SEM/SEO info across Ad Networks)) about 1.5 years ago to build out an online drill down reporting system. You can have all the information in the world, but if you don't ask the right questions, and more importantly, answer them with the right data, all that store stats don't amount to a hill of beans. FTR, if Ian reads this... MindManager was AWESOME for defining our feeds and huge datasets (some repeated, some didn't), especially when we started slicing it (created icon set for slicing & filtering the MindManager views). It saved us tons of time working with a filtered view.

# 8 ZoneKIller @ 03/10/10 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valdarez


	a hill of beans.

LOL Havent heard that in awhile.But you are correct and make a very good point.What if some kid was playing and they ran out of the I formation every game because thats the only formation they use in their middle school.(thats how my middle school did)

# 9 Valdarez @ 03/10/10 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZoneKIller


	LOL Havent heard that in awhile.But you are correct and make a very good point.What if some kid was playing and they ran out of the I formation every game because thats the only formation they use in their middle school.(thats how my middle school did)

Am I showing my age again... dangit... gonna have to hit urbandictionary.com again to brush up on my eLingo.

# 10 bdozer66 @ 03/10/10 07:41 PM

I want some more plays in each playbook, even better yet allow custom playbooks.

# 11 ZoneKIller @ 03/10/10 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valdarez


	Am I showing my age again... dangit... gonna have to hit urbandictionary.com again to brush up on my eLingo.

lol yes you are my friend.Also showing where you are from(South)
My dad used to say that all the time.Still does Im sure but I have moved out and married with kids so I dont get to hear the ol saying of past like I used to.Those ol sayings rub off though because I have even used those words.

# 12 laforr77 @ 03/10/10 09:15 PM

Guys, c'mon... give the guys a little credit. They aren't going to see that too many picks are being thrown and then boost a guys stats (really, I don't think that's a lot of picks, once you consider how many times the Vikings have been used in a game). But if they do find an issue by looking at the data, they are going to say, "ok, now why is this happening?" and then make adjustments from there.

Developers know they don't want to alienate their hardcore community... speeding up the time it takes to play a game doesn't mean "make it play like an arcade title." It just means "let's make it easier for gamers to spend less time in menus and more time on the field."

# 13 Ian_Cummings @ 03/10/10 09:24 PM

I will repeat.

We are NOT dumbing the game down. Just because someone throws picks means zero to the hardcore community and Madden fan that doesn't throw picks. The two have nothing to do with each other. Some folks are taking this presentation totally out of context.

The stats shown in the presentation were purely informational, to showcase that we can track stats over MILLIONS of games and focus our gameplay tuning to produce accurate NFL stats. We're not going to dumb down the playbooks or do any of those things you guys that think "we just don't get it" assume we're going to do.

Thanks.

# 14 sniperhare @ 03/10/10 09:35 PM

Please keep the online changes seperate from the offline changes. If I want to sub in an offensive lineman as a FB or some other position at an odd position let me do it. And have the blocking fixed, and add weight to the game.

I'm sick of seeing NFL players whiff on blocks and run away from contact (not every player is cromartie) when they need to hit someone.

And if need be, take a year off and release a 10$ update to the rosters and build a new game engine. Work with EA to buy Euphoria and give the fans a game that really looks like a game on Sunday.

# 15 CreatineKasey @ 03/10/10 09:39 PM

I think it's funny that people assume gaming companies will automatically make uninformed impulsive decisions. The reason I think it's funny is because it's their full time job to make the game. Of course these guys put together a well thought out reason for nearly every adjustment. Every gaming company, or business for that matter, does.

Some people draw shallow conclusions believably fast. The more I play M10, the more I realize 9 out of 10 the complaints appear unfounded.

If you look at other gaming sites... it's trendy to complain. I suggest breaking the trend unless your criticism is well thought out. It's rare to find that.

# 16 coogrfan @ 03/10/10 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian_Cummings_EA


	I will repeat. We are NOT dumbing the game down. Just because someone throws picks means zero to the hardcore community and Madden fan that doesn't throw picks. The two have nothing to do with each other. Some folks are taking this presentation totally out of context. The stats shown in the presentation were purely informational, to showcase that we can track stats over MILLIONS of games and focus our gameplay tuning to produce accurate NFL stats. We're not going to dumb down the playbooks or do any of those things you guys that think "we just don't get it" assume we're going to do. Thanks.

# 17 ChampIsHere42 @ 03/10/10 10:40 PM

Goodbye Madden.

I knew this would come..EA Sports is now going to focus towards the younger people just starting out with the game. This article means nothing to me and it shouldn't to anyone else. I don't care about this time thing. It's a football game, it's going to seem like you're picking your plays longer than you're playing because a play doesn't last very long in football. In basketball you're constantly playing, it's just how the game works. If people don't want to play a Madden game that long, then adjust the time settings down. I hate it when they lower the game standards for the people starting out with Madden. It's not fair to us hardcore Madden gamers.

# 18 coogrfan @ 03/10/10 10:49 PM

"Overreaction Sports", indeed.

# 19 Crimsontide27 @ 03/10/10 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian_Cummings_EA


	I will repeat. We are NOT dumbing the game down. Just because someone throws picks means zero to the hardcore community and Madden fan that doesn't throw picks. The two have nothing to do with each other. Some folks are taking this presentation totally out of context. The stats shown in the presentation were purely informational, to showcase that we can track stats over MILLIONS of games and focus our gameplay tuning to produce accurate NFL stats. We're not going to dumb down the playbooks or do any of those things you guys that think "we just don't get it" assume we're going to do. Thanks.

I think the issue at hand here is that , for the most part, the development team / corporate etc has lost a lot of credability with its consumers. Your loyal consumer base has held out for years and years just hoping that you guys did " get it ".

It has taken many years in the process, but the opinions have started to sway away from the always positive and optimistic attitude, to a more pessimistic attitude.

The Madden and NCAA series has been a staple of my video gaming life since they were first introduced and I have wonderful memories to go along with them, but over the past 5 years it has taken a drastic downward turn.

Just prove to us once, that you guys actually " get it "

Im begging. This and NCAA were my favorite franchises for 15 years. Please bring the glory days back.

# 20 Bgamer90 @ 03/10/10 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChampIsHere42


	Goodbye Madden. I knew this would come..EA Sports is now going to focus towards the younger people just starting out with the game. This article means nothing to me and it shouldn't to anyone else. I don't care about this time thing. It's a football game, it's going to seem like you're picking your plays longer than you're playing because a play doesn't last very long in football. In basketball you're constantly playing, it's just how the game works. If people don't want to play a Madden game that long, then adjust the time settings down. I hate it when they lower the game standards for the people starting out with Madden. It's not fair to us hardcore Madden gamers.

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